Touched by an Angel
by Teslyn
Summary: [Drabble] Naruto is completely oblivious to the changes he makes in other people. Those people are not. These are their thoughts, their stories. [R&R] Chapter 4: Hinata Hyuuga [Crushed for a Crush]
1. Baachan

**A/N:**

**I'd like to thank Gof22 for re-inspiring me to write this story with a thoughtful PM. –huggles- Thanks so much.**

**Baachan**

My name is Tsunade. Some people call me Tsunade-hime, and others call me Tsunade-sama, all merely because I am the First Hokage's granddaughter. (When I was younger, I was the 'flat-chested bitch, but I beat that out of Jiraiya ages ago.)

I am also known as Hokage-sama. I am the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure. Don't laugh. You're probably wondering if I was drunk when I accepted the goddamn, _awful_ job. And I'd like to say, yes I was.

But I can't – it wouldn't be fair to that brat and my conscience wouldn't let me rest. Still, I argue, who the _hell_ in the right mind would accept a crappy job like Hokage? Or any Kage title for that matter? The job comes with respect, yes, but it also comes with an extremely heavy (and sometimes unbearable) mantel of responsibility, not to mention the _mountains_ of paperwork and the fact that if someone (or you) screw up, all the villagers know who to blame –_you_.

When I was first offered the job by Jiraiya (who was offered it himself, but he wasn't as stupid or influenced as I was), my first reaction was 'Like hell I will! I don't want a shit job, and I don't want to be tied to a village with far too many memories. Just look at the Fourth and the Third – they both died (and the Fourth was far too young) protecting that village.'

And then the brat spoke up. Funny, really, I hadn't even noticed him in the beginning. Hadn't even realized that he was _with_ Jiraiya – and the kid gets that a lot, I guess. Or he _used_ too.

He yelled at me. Told me that Hokage wasn't a position that only a half-witted fool would take up. Told me his _dream_ was to be Hokage, and that he could – no **would** – kick my ass for disrespecting the deceased Third Hokage. You know what I did? I laughed. Right in his face – but I didn't feel any mirth. Inside, his words had sent my heart into turmoil.

"_Because Hokage is my dream!"_ His words blurred with those of my younger brother, Nawaki, and my boyfriend, Dan. Both of them meant so much to me, both of them are dead, but while they lived, to strive for the position of Hokage meant so much to them.

I tried to cheat my mind – told myself that he _wasn't_ like Nawaki or Dan if he couldn't perfect Rasengan in a single week. It was an impossible challenge – which was why I made it. I reasoned that if he couldn't complete Rasengan, he would never be worthy of Hokage in my eyes. This meant he wasn't like Nawaki and Dan, both of whom had my full trust and support. It was a perfect fool-proof plan, but somewhere, deep down in my heart, I felt uneasy. Like I was trying to evade fate, but it would come back and bite me later.

Ha. This uneasiness was put to rest when the kid did the impossible – he mastered the Rasengan in a week. _One goddamn week!_ And I was forced – no, not forced. Because by then, I _wanted _to believe, I _did_ believe, and I didn't consider myself an optimistic fool for believing, hoping, this kid would become Hokage.

I saw that the loud, annoying, obnoxious blond kid before me had something Nawaki and Dan didn't and didn't have a few things they did. My brother, my boyfriend, and the brat all had the love of Konoha that all Hokages must have. They all had that certain something… that… _driven_ attitude, that… I cannot describe it well. The best I can do is call it… determination. They were determined to protect their village with their life.

But the brat had the _power_, the _force_ behind his words. Raw chakra just waiting to be called upon in those desperate situations Hidden Villages always found themselves in.

And yet, the Kyuubi kid didn't have the First Hokage's necklace, or the good-luck kiss bestowed upon Nawaki and Dan when they received it.

But he does now. As I placed the necklace around his neck, and bent over his motionless body to kiss his forehead, I pretty much told him 'Be a good Hokage kid. Not because the village deserves one, but because _you_ deserve the love and respect of the village.'

Why didn't I think Konoha needed the brat's love and respect? Simple – they already had it. So I'm betting that the brat will become the Sixth Hokage. I know I'm a horrible gambler – the Legendary Sucker, they call me. But I pray to Kami-sama, that just this one time, he'll let me win – let the kid win.

I have to admit, the kid's determination is catchy – _he_ was the real reason why I took up the mantel of Hokage. His driven determination was the real reason why I wasted years of my life to heal myself after I spent so much effort, chakra, and blood to heal _him_. And the result? Yes, I do want to protect Konoha with my life. It is the reason _why_ I took up the post – but there was another thought behind my acceptance, a deeper, more meaningful one: I like to think that I'm merely here temporarily until the brat can take up the post himself.

The Kyuubi-vessel changed so much about me, yet he changed nothing at all. His words inspired within me a deep desire to protect Konohagakure – and its future Hokage. But it wasn't changing me. It was bringing out the part of me that I had stomped on, hidden, locked up, and ignored since the deaths of my lover and brother.

Because I am still Tsunade-hime, Tsunade-sama… and as that kid calls me, Tsunade-baachan (I swear if you call me that, I will knock you into the next century.) But I don't mind because the kid deserves that – a family (and so, _so_ much more). I'd like to note that so far, he's doing a great job of acquiring one. I am more than happy to fill in the post of the grandmother he never had.

_My name is Tsunade and I was touched, inspired by a blond, spiky-haired, **oblivious,** angel named Uzumaki Naruto. _

**A/N:**

**How do you like it? It took me four drafts to get it right – I didn't know if it was good, and then I realized I wanted to do it in Tsunade's point of view, and yea…**

**So a review would be awesome.**

**Also, I don't have a beta. So if you catch spelling mistakes (please!) go ahead and tell me. The grammatical errors (sentence fragments, etc) are intended since this is meant to be a jumble of surprisingly organized but not really thoughts.**

**Next one's probably going to be Gaara or Hinata. Vote in you review? I'm currently undecided.**

**Thanks,**

**--Aes Sedai**


	2. Chocolates

**A/N:**

**Here we go! Gaara!**

**Thanks Starr, for the first review **

**Chocolates**

I am Sabaku no Gaara, vessel of the Shukaku. Some of the older citizens who do not accept me as the Fifth Kazekage still call me the Sand Demon.

I do not mind anymore. It used to hurt me, those words. Demon, they called me, the devil who killed its mother to live. They used to whisper behind my back, and saying things they didn't think I could hear, praying for my death and resenting the fact that I didn't die as a child.

The only person who loved me, the only person who cared for me was my uncle, Yashamaru. I hurt him once, but I didn't mean it. I was just… so _angry_ at the people, so confused as to why they hated me. Uncle taught me what love was, and told me that my mother loved me. And then he did the unthinkable.

He tried to kill me. So I killed him. It broke my heart – what was left of it. That's the reason why I inscribed the kanji 'love' on my head. Because nobody loved me. The last person – Yashamaru proved his love was fake… because deep down, he hated me like all the others.

I thought I was alone. A certain genin proved me wrong – that genin somehow became precious to me because he opened my eyes. He told me what love really was, and much more. He _showed_ me.

Because of Shukaku, I cannot be hurt. A barrier of sand will instantly stop any attack. I tried to cut myself when I was little. I wanted to know what pain was. It was twelve years after the Shukaku was sealed in me before I learned.

I cannot be hurt, I had thought, as I had lain, immobile. The blonde genin dragged his body over to mine even though I told him in a raspy voice to back off. But deep down inside, I wanted him to keep coming, because if he did, it meant he cared enough to talk to me despite my best efforts to kill him. I cannot be hurt… but what was that flaming sensation I was feeling? It was pain.

And I savored the moment, savored the pain.

Because it proved that despite the Shukaku, I can _feel_. If I can feel pain, something the sand barriers should have blocked out, I could feel anything.

Including the blonde's love. I know I am not his only friend, but I am still happy to be considered one of them. I had found a kindred spirit in the other boy – we both carried demons, we were both hated… except he learned to love. But that doesn't mean I am unable to love. No, far from it, now that the blonde has taught me and given me an example to follow.

Ironically, the first feeling of the warmth, the pleasure of being truly cared about for who I am came from another demon-child.

But it was not the last love I would feel.

'Love and be loved.' That's what the main message of my beating (courtesy of the eccentric genin) was. I have always yearned for love, but I was always so cold. So dispassionate, trying to find the reason for my existence. I know now, that it is to protect the village I love, and my brother and sister. But before I could receive love from anyone, I had to learn to love. I had to stop backing away when someone made an attempt to love me.

Later that week, Temari hugged me. I had thanked her for dinner while she was washing the dishes. She turned around, her face blank, but her eyes were fearful and hopeful at the same time. She was scared of _me_, unsure of what my reaction to her next actions would beBut she followed the blonde kid's example. She tried.

As her arms encircled me, and I felt her warmth, I forced down the damned barriers and hugged her back. She stiffened when I returned her kindness, as if shocked that I finally overcame that inability to feel emotions like normal people. Her stiffness faded and her hug became fiercer.

As we broke away, I turned my back on her so she wouldn't see the tears that coursed down my cheeks. "Temari… I love you. I am… so… sorry. Sorry… _so_ sorry…" I said simply, repeating sorry over and over.. I heard her sharp intake of breath, and smiled to myself. "You're forgiven, little brother. You always are. We're family. One sorry is enough for both me and Kankuro."

The next day, Kankuro and I had a mission. We were to go to eliminate some Sound nin who dared enter our territory after they murdered the Kazekage. Actually, Kankuro wasn't needed. But he asked to come anyway, his exact words being, "I want to spend quality time with the baby of our family. Because I think bonding while murdering someone is the best way to show you care." His last sentence seemed added, and was heavy on sarcasm. But the first part seemed… so _sincere_.

I killed four Oto-nin, and Kankuro poisoned two. He ruffled my hair in a casual manner, saying, "That's Gaara for you. Go in, take 'em out, mission complete without a scratch on me." Then his hand jerked away as if he had just stuck it in a fire, his face horrified. I could practically see his thoughts.

'Oh shit, I just touched _Gaara_…' He reddened, and turned abruptly.

I tapped his shoulder. As he turned around, I hugged him and whispered my apologies.

'Thank you…' I thought. I never would have had those chances if it weren't for him.

A week after we returned from aiding the Leaf nin in their (failed) retrieval mission, I was offered the title of the Fifth Kazekage.

Temari and Kankuro talked to me about what being Kazekage meant.

"Gaara… Kazekage isn't just being strong…" Temari started.

"I know, sister. It's about loving who I'm protecting, too. I do love Suna, Temari, Kankuro. I do. _He_ taught me how to love." I told them. Temari exchanged a glance with Kankuro. Kankuro smiled lightly.

The next day, I saw the two of them sending chocolates to some Konoha ninja. I think I might know who.

_My name is Sabaku no Gaara, and I was taught about love by a blonde, genin of the Leaf. I acquired my first precious person the day I was defeated for the first time. I was touched by an angel named Uzumaki Naruto. _

**A/N:**

**Sorry for Temari/Kankuro stories. This wasn't as contemplative as Tsunade's. I figured Gaara is still trying to figure out how to express himself, so his words were limited and his sentences brief. **

**This was also less about Naruto and more about the before and after. Sorry. **

**Those stories with Kankuro and Temari really weren't that relevant, but I felt they were good for this little oneshot, to show how thankful Gaara was to Naruto. I guess. Well, please review!**

**This will probably be tweaked and revised later because currently I'm not particularly pleased with it... -sigh-**

**-Aes Sedai**


	3. Catalyst

**A/N:**

**Neji! I just found Hinata too hard and I wasn't really getting any inspiration at the moment, so I moved on to the next Hyuuga. Don't worry, Hinata _will _get done… eventually.**

**This is told after the time-skip.**

**Catalyst **

My name is Neji.

My teammates are Lee and TenTen. My old sensei and now squad leader is Maito Gai, a freak in green spandex with a Mini-me (Lee). But this isn't about my team. This is about how one catalytic event, one idiotic, loudmouthed, fool of a shinobi changed my whole life and the very core of everything I believed. And how I was freed from my cage.

I am part of the branch house in the Hyuuga clan, and I hate it, and the main house. At least, I used to. Everything changed when Hinata-sama's crush intervened.

It's actually quite ironic, ne? The time when I was forced to refer to Hinata-sama as such, I never thought of her as someone worthy of the suffix. And now, when Hinata-sama tells me "Neji-niisan, please, just Hinata," I always find myself thinking of her as more than Just Hinata.

She's changed, because of her crush. I've changed. If one thinks of Fate as a balance, that kid is a weight – he can move freely, and change everyone else. Of course, I don't think of Fate as something unchangeable. Everyone can change, and the kid just has more charisma than others

Destiny and Fate are different. I can see that now – before I thought of them as synonyms. Destiny is where you end up. Fate is the things that happen to you on the way. How you handle what Fate throws at you can change your overall Destiny.

Before, I never thought your Destiny could change. Losers would be losers, dead-lasts would be dead-lasts, and through it all, Hiashi-sama was a fucking bastard who killed my father for the good of the fucking Main house.

And then a dead-last who ignored what Fate tossed his way, and changed his Destiny proved me wrong, and from there, things seemed to get progressively better. Once I stopped throwing myself into the stream of Fate, and begun to control the current, everything changed for the better.

Before that day when I got my ass kicked by a dead-last, I hated everything and everyone (except maybe TenTen). I hated that I was part of the Branch house – the true Hyuuga prodigy, but I'd never be able to lead my clan. I hated how fucking _sanctimonious_ Hiashi-sama had acted toward me when I could kill him without breaking a sweat. I hated Gai and Lee, and their obnoxious green spandex. I hated Hinata-sama because she was, supposedly, my better even though she was weak and directed by emotions. I hated Hanabi-_sama_, she's a little bitch if I ever saw one (and she still is. I may have changed a lot, but that didn't).

And when the final battles for the Chuunin Exams came around, I assumed an easy win – after all, I, the rookie of my year, was facing the worst genin of his year. Hell, I even heard he failed the exams three times, but then, by some stroke of great luck, he managed to pass by the skin of his teeth.

But I didn't complain, or ask for a stronger opponent. And during the fight, I learned some things about him. The kid was younger than me, stupider than me, slower than me, and just overall _weaker_ than me… but more determined by far.

When I blocked all of his tenketsus, I assumed the battle was over and prepared to enlighten him on how a failure will always be a failure via lecture. Instead, I was the one who was enlightened, through actions. Actions speak louder than words, but it took fourteen years, getting ground into the dust by a failure, a very informative talk with Hiashi-sama about my father, and a stupid genin who just wouldn't give up.

In anger, I asked that failure how he could ever imagine what it was like to be branded by something you couldn't wipe away, a something that sets you apart from everyone else… and now I realize how foolish my words were. I know through observation, experience, and putting pieces of a puzzle together, that he is the container of the Kyuubi, and dealt with more shit than I ever did.

But during that fight, he promised me he would change the Hyuuga when he became Hokage. I believe him. He always keeps his word – he promised to defeat me for Hinata, and he promised he would be Hokage. He's already defeated me for Hinata. And he will defiantly be Hokage. It is the destiny he's_ made_ for himself.

I will always be in his debt. If I traced everything backwards, it was really because of him that I learned the truth about my father from Hiashi-sama. It was because of him that I stopped letting Fate guide me, and instead threw my beliefs to the four winds to forge my own destiny. And just as importantly, I have to thank him for Hinata-sama as well. She would never have as strong as she is now if it weren't for him. Hiashi-sama recognizes her now as more than worthless heir. He sees her as the true heir – she may fall short of my power (but then again, doesn't every Hyuuga?), but she has the determination, the self-confidence… and she has her emotions fully intact.

She's human. Her feelings drive her, and they are her secret weapon. She learned from the best (aka, her crush). And for that, I must thank the kid.

I am a Hyuuga now. Before, I saw myself as too good for them, above their "Better-Than-You" attitudes. But in feeling that way, I was a hypocrite.

I get along with Hinata-sama, and Hiashi-sama, too, I suppose. (Not so with Hanabi.) I am serious, but I lighten up now and then. I am truly living now, not just going through the phases of my life monotonously.

I realize that the cage in which I was trapped was wrought by myself, and my beliefs. _He_ freed me from it with his examples. That is what I, personally, have to thank him for. I realize and respect that the kid is a better ninja than me, and a better man as well. (But I'm still smarter.) He is a catalyst that sets off a chain of events that can change a person. He pushes that peron over an edge (figuritively... most of the time) that tests them and what they so firmly believed in, and they usually climb back up as a new, better, person.

_I am Neji Hyuuga. I was caged in Fate, wrapped up in the belief that it cannot be changed. But an angel by the name of Uzumaki Narut, a great shinobi who I previously saw as a failure, as someone lower than me, freed me from that cage.  
_

**A/N:**

**Not exactly pleased with it… Oh well.**

**Review please?**

**-Aes Sedai**


	4. Crushed for a Crush

**A/N:**

**Hinata !!!**

**Yayness **

**Crushed for a Crush **

Hinata-sama, Neji calls me. Because I am the heir to the Hyuuga clan. Neji is my cousin, part of the Branch house, though he is a true Hyuuga prodigy. He used to resent me because he thought I was too weak to be the future leader.

And he was right. I was weak, and I still don't have the talent that Neji-niisan has.

But both his views and my weakness were changed by the same boy. _Him_. Blond haired, blue-eyed, determined… and beauti—uh… hyper.

I am a chuunin now, and I acknowledge that I could never have done it without Naruto-kun's help.

I was quiet and shy; weak and virtually powerless; aimless. I had no goal; I thought myself too weak to try to reach for one… and I had a huge crush on the so-called worst shinobi-in-training during our academy years.

Some things never change. I still have a huge crush on the same person – except he isn't weak. And in my eyes, Naruto-kun was _never_ weak. He was strong in spirit, if not in talent. He never gave up, never stopped trying, and went to the extremes to protect anyone and everyone he loved.

Everyone gave him reason to be dejected, depressed… to be shy and quiet, timid and weak. But Naruto-kun never gave in to those people. He remained bright and cheerful, never dropped out of the academy as many obviously hoped he would.

Naruto-kun was strong. He was true to himself. He was inspiring.

I fell in love with Naruto-kun's strength and spirit, but lacked those qualities myself. I was never able to tell him; never able to comfort him because I was too weak… I was intimidated by his hidden potential and his (as Neji-niisan calls it) 'annoyingly optimistic outlook' on life.

… and yet, it was that hidden potential and outlook that helped me find the resolve to change.

As I watched Naruto-kun fight Kiba-kun, I couldn't help but marvel at his strength, his determination, his fighting spirit that refused to back down. And I couldn't help but self-analyze myself, to see if I matched that fiery spirit… but I already knew that I fell extremely short of Naruto-kun.

And thus, I finally had a goal that I thought was worth fighting for. A challenge I would _never_ back down from. I wanted to be like Naruto-kun; I wanted to be strong enough to protect those I care for. I wanted to be confident in my abilities. And I was determined to make this happen.

The challenges, the goals I had before held no meaning in my eyes, and all the meaning in the world to my clan's eyes. They needed a strong heir, but I lacked the determination to become that heir for them.

But in that moment when Naruto-kun defeated Kiba-kun, showing his true intelligence and power, I decided I _would_ make myself stronger than I was. I decided I would _never_ back down from a challenge ever again… and I knew I wasn't doing it to become the Hyuuga clan's ideal heir – I knew no matter how I tried, Neji-niisan would always outshine me.

No, I wanted to be stronger for myself… and for Naruto-kun.

So when Kuranei-sensei told me to forfeit the preliminary match against Neji-niisan, I refused. I refused to back down from the first challenged posed since I made my vow. I knew Neji-niisan wasn't going to go easy on me – I knew he could kill me…

I was crushed by Neji-niisan… but I fought on still. For myself, for my crush, and for everyone else who thought I was a weak Hyuuga girl with no spine. I wanted to prove them wrong. I think I did.

Some things never change. I am still quiet and shy… but weak? I do not think so. I hope not. I believe that I have changed myself because I fought to change. I worked on changing every waking moment of the day, and then some.

Neji-niisan helps me train the _Juken __**(1) **_ style. He commented, once, how much I had improved since the first Chuunin exams. He helped me develop and perfect my _Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho __**(2). **_

Even my father has acknowledged me now. I am not weak. I refuse to be called weak. I refuse to back down from a challenge. I refuse to be the shy, defenseless genin that I was.

And I owe it all to Naruto-kun.

_I am Hyuuga Hinata. I was weak, once, but not anymore. I am a determined chuunin because I was touched a sweet, strong angel by the name of Uzumaki Naruto. _

**A/N:**

**(1) Gentle Fist Style**

**(2) Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Style**

**Weeellll…**

**-coughs- That was kind of challenging. And not very good. Sorry –**

**- Aes Sedai**


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